I heard about The Simpsons for a while before I actually started watching the series. I didn't get FOX when the show began airing, and even after I had the station, it still took me several more years before I started watching the show. Once I started watching, I quickly became hooked on the show and have been watching ever since. I have been getting the DVD sets for years. I picked up The Simpsons - Season 12 when it came out and just finished watching the episodes.
The characters of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson were created by Matt Groening and first appeared in short scenes between segments on The Tracey Ullman Show. The basis for the characters is there even though the animation is rather crude. The characters became very popular and a decision was made to make a half hour animated show featuring them. The Simpsons began to air in 1989 and quickly became one of the more popular television shows. The 400th episode aired in may of 2007, just a few months before the full length movie The Simpsons Movie came out in the summer of 2007. Another show created by Groening, Futurama, began airing in 1999. Unfortunately, FOX didn't treat that show as well and it was canceled.
Throughout all the seasons of The Simpsons, most of the episodes have been focused on the members of the Simpson family and season twelve is no different. The majority of the episodes deal with something tied to the family. Bart and Homer once again end up with a little more attention, though a few episodes are more focused on Marge and Lisa as well. In many of the episodes, it seems like things will be focused on something. Then something happens, frequently connected to Homer in some way, and the episode will spin off into a whole different direction. Many of the situations are caused by Homer's bumbling. I know that some people don't like that aspect of the show as much, but I still enjoy it. The show just wouldn't be the same without Homer bumbling around.
In previous seasons, Grandpa Simpson and Marge's sisters Selma and Patty have received varying amounts of attention, with some episodes being focused on them. That doesn't happen in the twelfth season, though the characters do turn up briefly in a few episodes without much to do. The show has a large cast of supporting characters, many of whom are frequently around, like Moe and Mr. Burns. Every so often, an episode is focused more on one of the supporting characters. Insane Clown Poppy has Krusty the clown learning that he has a daughter. During Worst Episode Ever, Comic Book Guy has a heart attack and he ends up turning his store over to Bart and Milhouse while he recovers and starts a romance with Principal Skinner's mother. Comic Book Guy does turn up briefly in several other episodes during the season. I'm Goin' to Praiseland is focused on Ned Flanders, the neighbor that continues to annoy Homer, and how he is still struggling with the death of his wife. That episode does touch on the previous events from season eleven when Maude died.
One of my favorite characters, Sideshow Bob, is one that really hasn't been in many of the episodes. I'm not sure what it is about the character, but I love the episodes he is in. He makes such a wonderfully entertaining villain which makes his episodes better. He only turns up once every few years to attempt his latest plan. Sideshow Bob has several issues connected to Bart, Lisa, and Krusty and usually at least one of them comes out every time Sideshow Bob returns. In Day of the Jackanapes, Sideshow Bob has a plan to use Bart to kill Krusty. Some of the issues that Sideshow Bob has had in the past with Bart and Krusty come out during the episode. Certain things in the episode will make more sense if people have seen the previous episodes dealing with Krusty. Pretty much all of the other episodes during season twelve are self contained and have plots that are resolved by the end of the episode. That is something that has happened with most of the episodes throughout the entire series.
The Simpsons - Season 12 continues the annual tradition of having a special Halloween episode. Treehouse of Horror XI is actually the first episode for the season. Like the previous Treehouse of Horror episodes, this episode include three short stories that are twisted in some way. The opening credits for the episode are done like the credits from The Munsters, something I really enjoyed. Two of the stories are original and one is a twisted version of a more well known story. The stories, dealing with dead Homer attempting to do a good deed to get in heaven, dolphins taking over the world and Bart and Lisa becoming Hansel and Gretel aren't as creepy, but the episode is still entertaining overall. There really isn't another holiday episode in season twelve, though Skinner's Sense of Snow is set shortly before Christmas. One of the later episodes for the season, Trilogy of Error, is a bit different from the others. The episode focuses on one day for the family and jumps back in time to show the events from the perspective of different family members.
I don't consider any of the characters in The Simpsons to be normal. Various characters, especially members of the Simpson family, end up in some odd situations. Those odd things do make the episodes entertaining for me. Homer continues to cause many of the situations, usually through some sort of weird idea he gets and tries to implement. I think there is a good amount of humor to the episodes, some of which is a bit silly. The humor is probably too silly for some viewers. Some of the humor is slap stick in nature, usually involving Homer getting hurt in some way. That may be getting old for some viewers of the show, but it is a main part of the show in my opinion. A few things that happen during the season are a bit more adult in nature, so parents may want to check the show out before letting children see it.
Most of the voice cast does voices for multiple characters. Julie Kavner only does the voice for Marge most of the time, though she also does voices for Patty and Selma when those characters turn up. Yeardly Smith, who does the voice of Lisa, is the only regular voice cast member who voices one character. A few of the voice cast members are listed as guest voices even though they regularly voice characters. Several episodes include guest stars providing voices, something that has been done throughout the run of the series. The gust stars for season twelve include Gary Coleman, Frank Welker, the members of The Who, Drew Barrymore, Stephen King, Joe Mantegna, Jay Mohr, John Updike, Amy Tan, Joshua Jackson, Leeza Gibbons, Edward Norton, Michael Keaton, Charles Napier, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Kelsey Grammer, the members of N'SYNC, Stacy Keach, Jan Hooks, Frankie Muniz, and Shawn Colvin.
DVD Information
The Simpsons - Season 12 has twenty-one episodes on four discs. There are two versions for the case, each featuring Comic Book Guy. One is a regular type of case with a picture of Comic Book Guy. The other option has a Comic Book Guy head shape on the front. There have been two case options for many seasons and I prefer to get the normal cases. They fit on my shelf with the other seasons better than the oddly shaped cases. The inside part of the DVD case is like the one used for season eleven, and I still hate this type of case. The unfolding cardboard thing has wonderful graphics on both sides featuring the various characters at the Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con. The illustrations are wonderful. I just hate the way the discs are stored. On one side of the cardboard thing there are slits for the discs to slide down in. The discs do stay secure, but it is very difficult for me to get the discs out. I didn't like this type of case with season eleven and I still don't like it now. To quote Comic Book Guy, Worst. Case. Ever.
The booklet that comes with the case continues the theme of the convention. The cover has Comic Book Guy dressed as a superhero and many of the graphics throughout the booklet look comic book inspired. The booklet starts with another message from Matt Groening in which he talks about a few things from season twelve. One of the pages lists the main cast along with a breakdown of which episodes are on which disc. Another page lists the special features that are on each episode. That page also has an icon key with symbols that correspond to the different types of extras. The symbols are used throughout the booklet to indicate when an episode has a specific type of extra. The rest of the booklet provides short summaries for each episode as well as giving the original air date and identifying any guest actors.
There are commentaries for every episode as well as deleted scenes for most of them. The deleted scenes mostly seemed to be alternate versions of scenes that ended up in the finished episodes. The deleted scenes have a very finished look overall, though some parts of the scenes are in black and white. Comic Book Guy: Best. Moments. Ever. is a compilation of clips featuring Comic Book Guy that is entertaining. There are a few things called A Bit From the Animators focuses on things in a few episodes. I have only watched one of those, but it was a bit entertaining.
Episode List
Treehouse of Horror XI A Tale of Two Springfields Insane Clown Poppy Lisa the Tree Hugger Homer vs. Dignity The Computer Wore Menace Shoes The Great Money Caper Skinner's Sense of Snow Homr Pokey Mom Worst Episode Ever Tennis the Menace New Kids on the Blecch Hungry, Hungry Homer Bye, Bye, Nerdie Simpson Safari Trilogy of Terror I'm Goin' to Praiseland Children of a Lesser Clod Simpsons Tall Tales
I still really enjoy the episodes in The Simpsons - Season 12, though I know some fans of the show don't feel the same way. I'm glad to have the set in my DVD collection even though I hate the case and wish they would come up with other way of storing the discs. Fans of the show may like this set.
“The Simpsons” The Complete Twelfth Season is loaded with special features including an introduction from Matt Groening; audio commentaries on eve...More at HotMovieSale.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.